Over the last few weeks I’ve been beta testing a new iPad app called Snapseed from Nik Software. The software is designed to make editing photos on the iPad incredibly simple and intuitive. I was able to create some really wonderful transformations of my pics, then print them out on my ink jet printer with excellent results.

Here's the Snapseed for iPad filter page. There are two pages of filters with various choices such as Grunge, Drama and Center Focus.

Snapseed works with any images you have on your iPad and allows you to edit, then save new copies. The user interface is simple and intuitive since everything is accomplished via finger swipes. Swiping up and down accesses different settings such as brightness or contrast while swiping left and right changes the amount/intensity of the effect. You can see some of the user interface instructions below.

Nik has done a great job of simplifying the user interface with Snapseed. Everything is accomplished by swiping up/down or left/right.

The help screens are very simple as well.

Snapseed comes loaded with a wide variety of filters and adjustments and three of my favorites are Black & White, Grunge and Organic Frames. The way the software works is to make an adjustment, then apply the settings to the photo. After you’ve applied the first adjustment, the program brings you back to the main filter screen so you can make your next adjustment. You keep applying filters/effects to the photo until you are finished.

For example, for the cheetah photo below, I opened the image and first applied the Vintage Films filter. I applied the settings, then added a Grunge filter. Finally, I added an Organic Frames filter, then saved the image. Upon saving the file, Snapseed made a copy of the photo while also keeping the original on the iPad.

Cheetah on Serengeti. Processed in Snapseed for iPad by Nik Software.

Over the years, one of the neatest aspects of Nik Software engineering is the ability to do local adjustments with their patented color control points. As you might expect from Nik, they have included a control point tool Snapseed as well. As with their other control point software, you can adjust the size of the point and the specific adjustment effect you are after.

When finished working on your photo, if you sync your iPad with iTunes, you can then pull the photo onto your PC for additional work. However, I found that if you email the photo from the iPad, it sends a much larger file, better suited to printing. Therefore, I’ve been emailing my Snapseed files to take advantage of the bigger data files.

Creating beautiful artwork with Nik’s Snapseed for iPad is as easy as picking a filter, making a few quick changes, and saving the file. The resulting images are awesome and the prints I’ve made are fantastic. I love this app.

For more on Snapseed, check out Nik’s website here: www.niksoftware.com/snapseed
(by the way, some of my pics are used to advertise the software)